What Do You Think Of Barred Plymouth Rocks?

[Uncle Marc]

We are studying the kind of chickens we are going to get. There is a hatchery very near us. They hatch Barred Plymouth Rocks every Wednesday.

I kinda like that chicken for sentimental reasons. But I don't see much about them in the pictures and posts on here.

We live in Kentucky. We get very hot summers and lately fairly mild winters, but it can get very cold in January.

We will have a nice coop by spring and hope to have a completely enclosed run for them. They will not free range in our yard (we have flower gardens and vegetable gardens and a Jack Russell.

What do you think of Barred Plymouth Rocks? And how many eggs can we expect from them?

 

[Animalian]

I prefer silver pencilled ones, I think they're prettier! Same breed all up though.

She does not seem fussed about having to stay in the coop/run all day, unlike my RIR who goes MAD

The area of Australia where I am has hot summers, 40+ degree celcius the other year, and can get to about -4 at the coldest. She has handled it fine

No coop insulation, but on the severely hot days I would spray the sand in their run with the hose to cool things down a little for them in the afternoon.

My girl lays almost every day, lets me pick her up and pet her, has sense (doesn't freak out at nothing, plans routes so if something does happen she doesn't just run into a wall), and has just recently gone broody for the first time and only has a week to go till her eggs hatch out. I'm very impressed with her I thought she would have given up by now. She's not a vicious broody either, she growls but doesn't bite.

Great bird all round!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You'll enjoy any of the Plymouth Rocks. Great temperment, hardy all round birds with personality.

Check out the Plymouth Rock Thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7638376
I warn you once you see all those pictures of Heritage Barred, Partridge, Silver Penciled, White, Buff and Blue Rocks you'll have a hard time deciding which variation and will start thinking of getting heritage stock from one of the breeders on that thread.

 

[brownysfp]

We have no problems with our Rocks, cock Quagmire and three hens. They're regular layers but I've never had one go broody in the fifteen months we've had them. They do have a good personality; Quaggie has never been aggressive towards us unlike his Light Sussex counterpart. Seem just as happy in a run as free-ranging.

 

[vclark321]

I have 2 myself. They were not the breed I had originally intended to buy, but one local feed store had a 6 chick limit. My city code has a 3 chick limit. I went to the other feed store and they had a 3 chick limit. I got 2 Barred Rocks and 1 RIR. I had originally wanted Australorps and Orphingtons. I have to say I am VERY happy with the girls. They have been great! They have a wonderful temperment, goofy personality, are consistent egg layers and all around good birds. 1 of the BR is flock leader and is protective and watchful of the other 2. Great birds! I live in the Pacific Northwest.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Uncle Marc,

We keep and breed Barred Rocks. In fact, our breeding farm is down in So. Central KY. We breed for hardiness, not show birds, although most are rather handsome.

We love the breed. They don't lay quite as well as a production red type bird, which we also breed, but have more meat on their bodies, tend to be quieter, gentle and very good foragers. Our strain handles both the Kentucky heat and the Michigan cold very, very well.

Our pullets lay 5 eggs or more each week. The size of the egg is quite large and a pleasant color brown.

Welcome to art of chicken keeping. Drop me a pm if I can be of any help.

 

[dawg53]

Barred Rocks are my #1 favorite bird. Mine are hatchery birds and are very friendly. They are almost 7 years old and still lay almost daily. From my experience they are all weather birds. It gets extremely hot and humid here during the summer (many record highs this past summer) and they did extremely well. If I had to start over, I would only have Barred Rocks and Black Stars. Black Stars are my 2nd favorites.

 

[chickmashnoon]

The are the friendliest breed I have, altho my new australorps seem very sweet too. I don't think you hear much about them because they are considered pretty common, altho they are an historic breed in America. Very nice, calm disposition, big enough to provide meat and two out of my 5 started laying eggs before 20 weeks.

 

[bjw113]

We have two barred rocks, I believe one hen, one rooster and a variety of other girls. We have almost a dozen white plymouth rocks.. There are alot of my rocks (hatched May 2010) that lay eggs every day... EXTREMELY good layers... and great temperment birds.. My two barred rocks were hatched this past May (2011) and the hen is very sweet.. She thinks she is part dog and follows my husband and I around everywhere when we are outside.. VERY sweet personality and get along well with all the girls!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I'll give a differing opinion... I have 2 from McMurray and they are giant pains. Both of them were biters, even when they were chicks. Now that they're over a year old they've calmed down a bit, but I've had to work very hard at getting them to stop biting (my legs, my back, my fingers).

One of them went broody and was an excellent mother, even when she was given more chicks that weren't her own.